| Ino Anastasia | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Augusta | |||||||||
 Anastasia (right) on a coin minted under her husbandTiberius II Constantine (left) | |||||||||
| Empress consort of the Byzantine Empire | |||||||||
| Tenure | 578–582 | ||||||||
| Born | Ino 6th century | ||||||||
| Died | 593 Constantinople (nowIstanbul,Turkey) | ||||||||
| Burial | |||||||||
| Spouse | Ioannes Tiberius II Constantine | ||||||||
| Issue |
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| Dynasty | Justinian Dynasty | ||||||||
Ino (Greek:Ἰνώ), renamedAelia Anastasia (died 593) was the Empress consort ofTiberius II Constantine (r. 578–582) of theByzantine Empire, andAugusta from 578 until her death.
According to the account ofJohn of Ephesus, Ino came from Daphnudium, possibly the island ofDaphnousia off the coast ofBithynia in theBlack Sea.[3] She was first married to theoptio Ioannes, a low-rankingexecutive officer of theByzantine army. They had a daughter who was betrothed to Tiberius. Her husband and daughter both died prior to the conclusion of the marriage contract, and Ino herself married Tiberius instead.[3]
John of Ephesus mentions that Ino and Tiberius had three children. DaughtersConstantina and Charito are known by name. The third child is considered to have died prior to the elevation of Tiberius to the rank ofCaesar.[3]
Tiberius served asComes Excubitorum (Commander of theExcubitors) underJustin II. Justin reportedly suffered from temporary fits of insanity and was unable to perform his duties as early as the fall of the important fortress ofDara toKhosrau I of theSassanid Empire in November 573.[4]East Roman historians such asEvagrius Scholasticus andMenander Protector mention Tiberius as gaining power alongsideSophia, wife of Justin.[5] As aregent, Sophia recommended Tiberius in the position ofcaesar.[4]
According to the chronicle ofTheophanes the Confessor, Tiberius was officially appointedCaesar by Justin on 7 December 574.[4] He was alsoadopted by Justin and thus became his appointed heir.[6] At this point Ino emerged asCaesarissa, the second-ranking lady in the Empire.[7]
TheEcclesiastic History of John of Ephesus and the chronicle ofTheophanes the Confessor both record that Sophia considered planning to marry Tiberius herself.[6] His current marriage was seen as an offense to her, and Ino and her daughters were not allowed to enter theGreat Palace of Constantinople. They were instead settled in thepalace of Hormisdas, residence ofJustinian I prior to his elevation to the throne.[3] According to John of Ephesus, Tiberius joined them every evening and returned to the Great Palace every morning. Sophia also refused to let the ladies at court visit Ino and her daughters as a token of respect to them.[7]
Eventually however, to escape Sophia's displeasure, Ino and her daughters leftConstantinople for her native Daphnudium.[3] According to John of Ephesus, Tiberius left Constantinople to visit Ino when she fell sick.[7]
In September 578, Justin II appointed Tiberius as his co-emperor, and on 5 October 578, Justin died and Tiberius became sole emperor. According to John of Ephesus, Sophia sentPatriarch Eutychius of Constantinople to Tiberius to convince him to divorce Ino, offering both herself and her adult daughterArabia as prospective brides for the new Emperor. Tiberius refused.[7]
Tiberius apparently feared for the safety of his wife and daughters. John of Ephesus reports that the three women were secretly smuggled into Constantinople by boat, late at night. Ino arrived safely and her husband arranged for her meetings with Eutychius and members of theByzantine Senate. Ino was proclaimed Empress in a public ceremony and received the rank ofAugusta.[7]
Her name may have been considered inappropriate for aChristian Empress as it hadHellenic overtones.[8] The originalIno was a daughter ofCadmus andHarmonia, identified with thegoddessLeucothea. According toJohn of Ephesus, Ino received the name Anastasia (and officiallyAelia Anastasia), suggested by the Bluechariot racing faction. Their rivals the Greens had suggested the name Helena.[3][8]
Anastasia was not the onlyAugusta. Sophia also retained her rank and continued to hold a section of the palace to herself. Anastasia's religious affiliation is unknown. According to John of Ephesus, she was hostile to theMonophysites, but her actual belief is unknown.[7]
On 14 August 582, Tiberius died. He was succeeded byMaurice, a general betrothed to Constantina. The marriage of Constantina and Maurice took place in autumn 582. Constantina was also proclaimed anAugusta while both Sophia and Anastasia kept the same title. John of Ephesus mentions all three Augustas residing in the Great Palace.[6]
Theophanes records the death of Anastasia in the year 593. She was buried in theChurch of the Holy Apostles, alongside her husband.[3][7]
| Royal titles | ||
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| Preceded by | Byzantine Empress consort 578–582 | Succeeded by |